Exercising apparatus.



M. J. SULLIVAN.

EXBRGISING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 30, 1912.

1 075,309, Patented Oct. 7, 1913. 9 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

la' I I 10 2 M. J. SULLIVAN.

EXBRGISING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAB..30, 1912.

Patented Q01 7, 1913.

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nxnnorsme APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 7, 1913.

Application filed March 30, 1912. Serial No. 687,338.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARK J. SULLIVAN, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of the city of Chicago, in the county of Cook and Stateof Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inExercising Apparatus; and I do hereby declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, and to the numbers of reference markedthereon, which form a part of this specification.

Although the importance and necessity of consistent and regular exerciseis generally recognized, and although many different forms of exercisingapparatus have heretofore been constructed, their use has been quitegenerally neglected, owing, in some in-' stances, to the difliculty inobtaining suflicient space for installation.

No suitable apparatus has devised for the use of those who, illness oraccident, are confined, for considerable portions of time, to theirbeds. In consequence, recovery or convalescence is retarded.Furthermore, in many cases of illness or injury, it is exceedinglydiflicult to turn or move the patient in the bed, owing to the lack ofsuitable means whereby the patient may assist the nurse in effectingsuch movement.

The object. of this invention is to afford a cheap, simple andexceedingly strong and durable exerciseing apparatus, adapted for use inconnection with a bed, and whereby the user, while recumbent upon thebed may, by the use thereof, obtain adequate exercise for therequirements of health.

It is also an object of the invention to afford a device such asdescribed whereby the user, upon awakening, maybe able to exercise tothe desired extent before arising.

It is also an object of the invent-ion to afford a construction wherebyinvalids or those confined to the bed through injury, may be able toexercise the various limbs and parts of the body to aid in restoringhealth, and whereby also the patient may assist the nurse in raising,moving or turning the body by means of such apparatus, or in manyinstances, effect such movement entirel without the assistance of thenurse and with but little physical effort.

It is also an' object of the invent-ion to afford a construction adaptedfor attachment in operative position, on, or in conheretofore beenthrough v nection with any metal bedwithout injuring or defacing thebed.

It is also an object of theinvention to afiord a construction adaptedfor attachment to wooden beds, if desired, and whatsoever the kind ofbed to which the device is. attached, to so connect the device as tosupport the same upon the bed and permit the bed to be moved as desired,without the necessity of detaching the device or any part thereof.

The invention (in a preferred form) is illustrated in the drawings andhereinafter more fully defined.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of adevice embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse section thereof.Fig. 3 is a section on line '33 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an enlarged,fragmentary, detail face view and section of the standard and swingingbracket arms. Fig. 5 is an enlarged section on line 55 of Fig. 4. Fig. 6is a fragmentary, sectional detail of the standard, and means forattaching the bracket arms thereon with one of the bracket arms brokenaway or in section. Fig. 7 is an enlarged section on line 77 of Fig. 2.Fig. 8 is a section on line 8-8 of Fig. 7. Fig. 9 is a view in elevationof a detachable form of leg exercising means embodying a part of myinvention. Fig. 10 is a fragmentary, sectional detail of the standardand the collars are secured in spaced relation.

As shown in the drawings: Thebed is indicated as a metal bed,constructed as usual, of pipes 1, and having at the ends thereof atransverse head rail 2, and a foot rail 3, each an inwardly facing anglebar. The side bars or rails 4, (also angle bars, as shown) rigidlyconnect the head and foot of the bed by engaging said transverse headand foot rails together, as shown in Figs. 1 and2, affording a rigidinterior frame.

The exerciser comprises a standard or tube of vsufficient size andstrength, and which extends upwardly at the inner side of the head railof the bed at the center thereof, and to the desired height above thebed. Said rod or standard is engaged to the head rail 2, by any suitableclamp, (a convenient and effective form of which is illustrated in thedrawings) and comprising upper and lower U bolts 6, which engage aroundthe shaft or standard 5, and

collars and illustrates the manner in which shaft 5, consisting of asteel bar, rod or.

extend one above, and the other below the head rail 2, as shown in Figs.7 and 8. A clamping plate 7, is engaged against the web of said headrail, and through. which the threaded ends of the U bolts extend, andagainst which the nuts 8, on said U bolts bear to hold the same at alltimes in firm engagement. Conveniently, a suitable filler block 9, isengaged in the angle of the head rail, as shown in Figs. 7 and 8, andmay be notched slightly 'to receive the shaft or standard therein.Secured on the lower end of said shaft or standard is a collar 10,afi'ording a footpiece, and which is provided on the under face with apad 11, of felt or other suitable material, to avoid injury to thefloor, as shown in Fig. 1. Secured at the lower end of said shaft orstandard, and extending obliquely upward and rearwardly, is a strongwlre cable 12, which extends around the foot rail 3, as shown in Fig. 1and the end thereof is adjustably engaged upon itself by means of theclamp 13, of familiar form, to permit the tension of the cable to beadjusted as described.

At a point above the head rail 2, and bear mg againsttwo or more of therods 1, forming the head of the bed, is a transverse bar or plate 14,-faced with felt l5, on the face thereof adjacent to said rods, andhaving secured on the outer side thereof adjustable clips or hooks 16,also faced with felt, adapted to en age between, and bear against saidIOfS 1, to steady the upper end of the shaft or standard, and secured tosaid plate or bar 14, and near the middle thereof, is a metallic strap17, affording an eye to receive the shaft therethrough, and which isrigidly bolted in place.

Slidably and adjustably engaged on said shaft, is a lower upwardlyfacing collar 18, and an upper, downwardly facing collar 19, each ofwhich is provided with a screw 20 and 21, respectively to engage thesame in adjusted position on the shaft. Said collars at their adjacentfaces are provided with alined channels therein surrounding the shaft,as shown in Figs. 4 to 6 inclusive, and Fig. 10 and are rigidly engagedtogether by means of a rod or bolt 22, which extends at its ends intosaid channels in said collars, and is rigidly secured to each.

Bracket arms 23, two in number, are

each provided at their inner ends with a head having a flange thereon,as shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 6, adapted to fit into the channels of saidcollar, and directed ob liquely to said arms, so that when engaged inplace,

the arms extend radially from the shaft. As shown, thelower collar 18,is provided with a relatively broad peripheral flange 25, which extendsbeneath a suitable shoulder on each of said arms toafiord a bearingtherefor, andto support the same at some distance from the axis of theshaft.

I truding Thearms may, of course, be of any suitable design orconfiguration and taper outwardly toward their extremity.

Each of the arms at its outer end, is provided with a downwardlydirected threaded:

aperture, adapted to receive the cap screw 26,. therein, and which isretained in place by the nut 27 thereof, on the upper proend of said capscrew, and which, as shown, affords an eye 28. Swiveled on the lower orthreaded end of the cap-screw, is a'hand grip 29, of any suitable orconvenient form. Said arms are of a length to extend sufficientlyoutward from the standard, to enable the user to conveniently graspthesame above his chest while lying upon the bed, as shown Fig. 1, and,as shown in dotted lines in- Fig. 3, said arms may be engaged togetherat their outer end by the horizontal bar 30, the reduced ends of whichextend through the eyes 28, on the outer ends of said arms, and may beheld in place by means of collars or stops 31, releasably engaged in anysuitable manner upon the extremities of the bar. Said bar, 0"course','may be grasped by the hands in performing any of the desiredgymnastic exercises by the user, and when engaged in place as described,cannot accidentally become released from the eyes. Any ornamental cap34, to afford a finish, may be secured upon the upper endof the, shaftor standard, if desired, and, of course, the construction as a whole maybeof any desired material or finish.

The operation is as follows: In adjusting the device to the bed, if ametal bed such as shown and described be used, the shaft is engaged inthe proper position by means of the U bolts, the cable is attached asshown in *ig. 1, and drawn to the required tension and the clamp 13,utilized to hold the same from slipping. The plate or bar 14, is nextadjusted suitably at the head of the bed to hold the upper end of theshaft or standard from any tendency to lateral movement. The arms arenow adjusted to the desired height above the mattress. For this purpose,the set screws 20. and 21, are released, and the collars, with the armsengaged therebetween, are slipped up or down upon the shaft as required,to the desired position, and again engaged in place by means of the setscrews, either or both of whichmay be used in holding the collars asadjusted. The bracketarms are normally supported fiat against the headof the bed, as shown in-tlotted lines in Fig. 3. The user may nowen'gagethe hand grips and swing the same inwardl above the chest, as shown inFig. 1, W ere a large variety of arm, chest, abdominal and back and neckmovements are possible, with the aid thereof, and if desired also, suchexercises can be taken with the operator lying upon his back, upon hisface, or upon either norasoe side, as required. Leg movements, may ofcourse, be also employed simultaneously with the other exercises andwithout the aid of other apparatus, or, if preferred, strong resilientbands or springs 36, may be engaged by means of snaps 37 in the eyes 28,and the feet may be engaged in stirrups 38, therefor, as shown in Figs.1 and 9, and the leg movements may be effected against the resiliency ofsaid bands or springs. At the same time, or in conjunction therewith,the operator may utilize the hand grips, as before described, to afforda large number and variety of gymnastic movements. The horizontal bar30, is used as its character would indicate, and serves the doublepurpose of spacing the outer ends of the arms apart to enable the pullupward to be effected advantageously and without cramping the chest toany degree, as might occur should this movement be effected with thearms close together.

Should it be desired to attach the device to a wooden bed, it is. onlynecessary to bore through the-end rail to permit engagement of the Ubolts therethrough, or to afford any other suitable clamp for thispurpose, and to extend the bar 14, (which may be, of course, asornamental as desired) to a length to engage around the posts of the bedhead, thus obviating any necessity of marrin-geven a wooden bed if thedevice is to be installed thereon.

In practice, it has been found that invalids, through the use of adevice such as described, are enabled to obtain such exercise asfacilitates their recovery to health,

and at all times are able to assist themselves in moving or turning.Furthermore, the advantageous results due to exercising when firstawakening are readily .attained, and while the operator is in recumbentposition,

and with little danger from theinjury sometimes resulting from the useof certain classes of gymnastic apparatus heretofore quite generallyemployed.

Of course, It am aware that clamps of any kind may be incorporated inconnection with my invention; that instead of one tension guide line,lines may be extended from the foot of the shaft to the side rails ofthe bed as well. When secured to the bed, it is obvious that the bed mayhe moved as desired without disturbing the attachment of the exerciserthereto.

l have shown but a preferred form of my invention, and am aware thatnumerous details of construction and application may be varied withoutdeparting from the rinciples of the invention. 1 therefore 0 not purposelimiting the patent to be granted on this application otherwise thannecessitated bv the prior art.

1 claim as my invention:

1. A standard adapted to be attached to a standard, a set screw bed atthe head thereof, arms swingingly engaged thereon and adjustable as toheight above the bed, and a hand grip at the extremity of each arm.

2. In a device of the class described a standard adapted to bedetachably engaged at the head of a bed and supported upon the floor,bracket arms connected with said standard to swing horizontally abovethe bed, a hand grip at-the extremity of each of said arms, and meansfor adjusting the arms simultaneously as to height.

3. A device of the class described embracing a standard adapted to beinserted in advance of the head rail of a bed and rest upon the floor, aclamp engaging the standard to the head rail of the bed, means engagingthe upper end of the standard with the head of the bed to hold the samefrom lateral movement, a cable engaged at the lower end of the standardand adjustably engaged in tension around the foot rail of the bed,bracket arms adj ustably and swingingly engaged on the standard andadapted to swing horizontally over the bed, and means attaching ahorizontal bar to the outer end of said bracket arms.

4. A device of the class described embracing a standard adapted to restupon the floor, a padded foot piece for the standard, a clamp adapted toengage the standard to the head rail of a bed, a clamp for engaging thestandard to the head of the bed above the rail, swinging bracket armsadapted for adjustment horizontally over the bed, a h and grip engagedon the under end of each, an eye at the outer end of each bracket arm, ahorizontal through said eyes at its ends and acting to space the handgrips apart, and means adjusting said bracket arms as to height abovethe bed.

5. A device of the class described embracing a standard adapted, to besupported upon the floor, means for engaging the same at the-inner sideof a bed, a cable for engaging the foot thereof with the foot rail ofthe bed, swinging arms adjustably secured on the standard and adapted toextend over the bed, a hand grip on each, and foot and leg exercisingmeans adapted for engagement on the outer end of said arms and embracingeach a resilient band and a stirrup on the outer end of the band.

6. in a device of the class described a standard, a collar on the lowerend thereof and a pad secured thereon to rest upon the door, means forengaging said standard with a bed head, to sustain stresses laterallyand longitudinally of the bed, oppositely faring grooved collarsslidable on said adapted to engage each to the standard, a rod rigidlyconnecting said collars, bracket arms flanged at their inner extremitiesto engage in the channels in the collars and adapted to swing thereinover against the head of the bed or rearwardly over the bed, threadedapertures extending downwardly through the outer end of the arms, a capscrew threaded therein, head of the cap screw below the arm, a nutaffording an eye threaded on the cap screw above the arm, a horizontalbar adapted to engage in said eyes at its ends, and means for retainingthe same in place.

7. In a device of the class described a standard, means for engagingsaid standard upon a bed head, oppositely facing grooved collarsslidable on said standard, a rod rigidly connecting said collars,bracket arms flanged at their inner extremities to engage in thechannels in the collars and adapted to swing therein over against thehead of the bed or rearwardly over the bed, a hand grip secured on eacharm, and a horizontal bar adapted to space the free ends of said armsapart.

8. In a device of the class described a standard, means for engagingsaid standard upon a bed head, oppositely facing vertically adjustablegrooved collars on said standard, a member connecting said collars, andbracket arms flanged at their inner extremities to engage in thechannels in the collars and adapted to swing therein over against thehead of the bed or rearwardly over the bed.

9. In a device of the class described a standard, means for engagingsaid standard upon a bed head, oppositely facing collarson saidstandard, a member connecting said collars, bracket arms engaged to saidcollars and adapted to swing therein over against the head of the bed orrearwardly over the bed, a hand grip secured on each arm, and foot andleg exercising meansadapted for engagement on the outer end of said armsand embracing each a resilient band and a stirrup on the outer end ofthe band.

10. A standard adapted to be attached to a bed at the head thereof, andarms swinga hand'grip secured on the.

justably engaged in tension to the article of furniture, bracket armsadjustably engaged I on the standard and adapted to swing horizontallyand means for attaching a horizontal bar to the outer end of saidbracket arms.

12.;A device of the class described embracing a standard adapted to beconnected with an article of furniture, means for engaging the standardto the article of furniture, swinging bracket arms adapted forhorizontal adjustment, a hand grip engaged on the under side of theouter end of each, a horizontal .bar adapted to space the hand gripsapart, and means for vertically adjusting said bracket arms.

13. A device of the class described embracing a wertical standard, meansfor engaging the same to an article of furnlture, swinging armsadjustably secured on the standard, a hand grip on each, and foot andleg exercising means adapted for engagement on the outer end of saidarms and em bracing each a resilient band and a stirrup on the outer endof the band.

14. In a device of the class described a standard, means for engagingsaid standard upon a bed head, to sustain stresses laterally andlongitudinally of the bed, oppositely facing collars slidable on saidstandard, a member rigidly connecting said collars, bracket arms engagedto the collars and adapted to swing over against the head of the bed orrearwardly over the bed,-a hand grip secured on each arm, and ahorizontal bar connected with said arms.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presenceof two subscribing witnesses.

MARK J. SULLIVAN. Witnesses CHARLES W. HILLS, Jr., Gaoncn R. Moons.

